Jehovah Witness RNs

Nurses General Nursing

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Ok, here I am waving my big "look at me" flag, hopefully not painting a giant target on myself..... :uhoh21:

Im looking for any RNs who are Jehovah's Witnesses. I am one (yes, active), and I have recently come across a work related issue that I have a question about. If anyone reading this is an active JW, please contact me (see email address on profile page) if you are comfortable talking. Thanks!

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Specializes in a variety.
Ok, here I am waving my big "look at me" flag, hopefully not painting a giant target on myself..... :uhoh21:

Im looking for any RNs who are Jehovah's Witnesses. I am one (yes, active), and I have recently come across a work related issue that I have a question about. If anyone reading this is an active JW, please contact me (see email address on profile page) if you are comfortable talking. Thanks!

Hi, I am a registered nurse, however not a JW per say. I am open to discission about the work related situation you are refering to. Just post the problem as this is a discussion board ,and I will repond and maybe others also from a professional point of view.

Praise, RN

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I have always wondered this.....

I know JW will not accept blood. But will a JW nurse hang blood? And will a JW MD order blood? Just curious?

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Specializes in SICU.
I have always wondered this.....

I know JW will not accept blood. But will a JW nurse hang blood? And will a JW MD order blood? Just curious?

Wow, you know it just occurred to me that I've never thought about that. I'd like to know the answer to that myself... Thanks for asking!

I look forward to reading the answer.

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I have always wondered this.....

I know JW will not accept blood. But will a JW nurse hang blood? And will a JW MD order blood? Just curious?

I worked with a JW nurse years ago, and I asked her about this. She told me that her beliefs prohibit her from accepting blood, but that she could not let her religious beliefs stop her from following legit orders. She would hang blood on a pt if ordered.

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Now that we are having this discussion.....I have a few questions that I would like to throw out there....

This is a story from a long time ago.....before HIPPA enter out daily lives.

Pt comes in to deliver 3rd baby. Pt. is a JW and brought with her all her legal forms refusing blood. She has a PP hemorrage....all measures were taken....IV fluids, hemabate, methergin, her H&H is dropping....she continues to verbally refuse blood. By this time other members of her family as well as her church are present. The doctor is at the bedside stating if she does not receive a blood transfusion she will die...my questions is: do you think it would be reasonable to ask everyone to leave the room to discuss this with the patient. I mean....I don't think it was a good idea to talk to this patient about this with all these other people standing around. (the story is that they were all there praying and would not leave her side) I am not Jahova's witness.....and I am not trying to make a joke but I wouldn't drink a beer and have a cigarette in front of my priest.....so I don't think it is reasonable to try to talk to a JW about the life or death need to have a blood transfusion in front of her family. (that was the best comparison I could come up with...it's late, please no bashing...I just hope you understand my point)

Nowadays...you could say...because of the hippa laws I need to talk to my patient in private.....

It might not have changed the outcome....and she did die...

But maybe this is a positive outcome of HIPPA....the ability to talk privately about a health related matter that the family might not approve of....

My next question is....this practice has now stated that they will no longer care for JW patients who will not accept blood....one of the other docs in that practice is my doc and on the new patient forms it asks religious preference.....can a doctor refuse to accept a private patient based on religious beliefs? Is that legal?

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Specializes in SICU.

Wow, that's a tough scenario. I watched a post CABG patient die once because of a refusal to accept blood. I wondered if that patient might have taken the blood if she didn't have people standing around, possibly judging her. She sure was crying and scared.

I am thankful for HIPAA for this very reason. It gives medical personnel a valid excuse to talk to the patient in private. It also makes me wonder how much people truly DO do because they think it's what their relatives/church members/friends think should be done, and possibly not what they, the patient, wants.

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Specializes in med surg, SICU.

I used to work with a nurse who is a Jehovah's Witness and she would not personally hang the blood, but she would have another nurse do it and then she would maintain the transfusion.

And as to the question whether an MD can refuse a pt based on religious preference, I'm sure that's illegal... but would you really want a doc like that to treat you anyway?

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
I used to work with a nurse who is a Jehovah's Witness and she would not personally hang the blood, but she would have another nurse do it and then she would maintain the transfusion.

And as to the question whether an MD can refuse a pt based on religious preference, I'm sure that's illegal... but would you really want a doc like that to treat you anyway?

When I was an Assistant Administrator, at Downstate Brooklyn, it was not considered an illegal act, on the part of a physician, to refuse to accept a JW ob patient, as long as she was not in active labor. And as long as a JW patient signed all the necessary forms, we could not force a blood transfusion on the patient. Peds patients were a different matter. If the parents refused to sign an authorization of need blood transfusions, we could contact a judge and get temporary guardianship of the child. And have an assigned Guardian Ad Litum sign the necessary forms.

I am not a JW but a Roman Catholic. I do not believe that anyone has the right to try to talk a patient into something that clearly violates the patient's beliefs. The JW that I have known are very clear about their beliefs. And feel very strongly about their beliefs. As a Catholic, I must believe that the fetus's life take precedence over the mother's life. This clearly goes against most nurses and physicians beliefs but they are mine. And I feel that these beliefs must be respected, even when others do not agree.

Woody:balloons:

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Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.

I never thought about the hanging of blood on others but if they are indeed a JW and an RN then they do need to follow direct orders from the MD eh? Good point!

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
Wow, that's a tough scenario. I watched a post CABG patient die once because of a refusal to accept blood. I wondered if that patient might have taken the blood if she didn't have people standing around, possibly judging her. She sure was crying and scared.

I am thankful for HIPAA for this very reason. It gives medical personnel a valid excuse to talk to the patient in private. It also makes me wonder how much people truly DO do because they think it's what their relatives/church members/friends think should be done, and possibly not what they, the patient, wants.

I recently took care of a pt. who would not receive blood either. To make a long story short, he did end up getting it (his choice) and all measures were taken for the family/church not to find out.

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the doctor's group would not refuse to accept a drop-in patient that was JW....they would refuse to accept a private patient.....

from what I have been told....a doctor can refuse a private patient and terminate a doctor/patient relationship for any reason...

but I don't know if that is true....legally speaking....

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